Can conveyer and distributer.



A. M. AUGENSEN.

CAN CONVEYER AND DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. l8, 19M.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. M. AUGENSEN.

CAN CONVEYER AND DISTRIBUTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-1B. 1914.

L86,390. Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TE Fm AUGUST M. .AUGENSEN. 0F MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CAN GONVEYER AND DISTRIBU'I'ER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14% 191?.

Application filed April 18, 1914. Serial No. 882,696.

I '0 all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, AUGUST M. AUGEN- sex. a citizen of the United States, residing in l\[a v\\'ood, in the county of Cook and Slate of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in (Jan Conveyors and Distributors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in can conveyors and distributors.

()ne object of the invention is to provide simplified mechanism for distributing a single line of rapidly moving cans into a plurality of lines and directing the cans thus separated to a plurality of closing machines.

Another object of the invention is to provide'mechanism so arranged that a minimum amount of floor space is utilized for distributing filled cans as they come from a filling machine to a plurality of closing machines and then transferring the closed filled cans as they come from the closing machines to a conveyer for transferring them to the packing room or storing room.

The invention furthermore consists in the improvements in the parts and devices and in the novel combinations of the parts and devices'herein shown, described or claimed.

In canning factories it has been found that a battery of can closing machines, each running at a slow speed, gives better results than a single can closing machine running at a high speed, since greater opportunity is given for inspection and spilling is minimized. It has also been found that the filling machines now commonly employed to place measured quantities of the contents into the open cans, operate generally at a higher speed than closing machines so that when a filling machine is running at full speed, it is necessary to employ a battery of can closing machines to take the entire product therefrom. Furthermore, a packer in the height of the season is sometimes required to run his entire plant at maximum capacity day and night and at such times it is essential that auxiliary or emergency closing machines be provided to take the place of any closing machine which may happen to break down or is stopped for any reason. It is also an important consideration in canning factories to use a minimum amount of floor space to be occupied by the conveyers for transporting the cans to the closing machines and from the latter to the labeling machines or to the packing room. I have' provided an arrangement which takes into account all of the above mentioned factors and the same consists in a distributor so arranged that the cans as they come from a filhng machine at high speed are distributed successively, positively and in rotation to a battery of closing machines, the distributer being so arranged that in case any one of the battery of closing machines breaks down, the cans may be switched to an emergency or auxiliary closing machine without stopping the feeding of the cans. belt is also provided for receiving and con veying the closed filled cans after the same have been operated upon by the closing machines, said conveyer being mounted upon the same framework as the distributing arrangement and preferably below the latter, thus minimizing the amount of floor space required for the entire apparatus.

In the drawing formlng a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan View of one form of apparatus embodying my improvements, the closing machines being in dicated diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the distributing mechanism and receiving and conveying belt, parts being broken away in order to prevent crowding of the drawing. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing the entrance end of the distributing mechanism. Fig. 4 is a transverse,

vertical section showing the framework on which the conveying and distributing belts are mounted and also the chute from a closing machine for the closed filled cans, the section being taken substantially on the line 4: 4: of Fig. 1 and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the switches or deflecting fingers employed with my mechanism.

In said drawing, the parts are shown as mounted on a framework having uprights 10, 10, horizontally arranged angles 11 at the top thereof and other angles 12, 12 below the angles 11, 11, said angles 11, 11 and 12, 12 forming horizontal supports or guideways for the upper webs of two endless belts or conveyers 13 and 14: both of which travel in the same direction as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. The lower webs of the conveyers travel over a plurality of rollers 15, 15 suitably supported, as shown. The conveyers are supported on pulleys 16, 16 at the ends of the framework which are rotated by suitable means such as the worm gear A receiving 4 drive 17, shaft 18, sprocket gear 19, sprocket chain 20 and sprocket gear 21. Above the conveyer 13 and suitably secured to the framework is a plurality of bridges 22 to which are secured a plurality of longitudinally extending bars 23, 23 forming three guideways or passages 24, 25 and 26, see Fig. 1. A plurality of gates 27 are arran ed as shown in Fig. 1 so that the cans as t ey come down the various passageways 24, 25 and 26 may be deflected to any one of the can closing machines A, B, O or D, it bein understood that during normal operation 0 the parts, only the machines A, Band C are utilized. However, in case of breakdown of either of the machines A, B and C, the gates will be so arranged that the cans will be fed to only two of the machines on: the one side of the distributer and the remaining cans to the machine D.

The filled cans are brought from the filling machine (not shown) on to the conveyer 13 and along the single passageway 28. T1113 passageway is formed .by two bars 29, 29 bent and arranged as shown in Fig. 3. Extending into. the space between the bars 29, 29 and supported on an adjustable bracket 30 is a rotatable, positioning or displacing plate 31, the latter having an irregularly shaped periphery preferably of the form shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The periphery comprises two diametrically disposed concave surfaces 32; two diametrically disposed reversely curved surfaces 33; and two diametrically disposed surfaces 34. As the cans are moved past said member 31 by the conveyer 13, they engage the said member and rotate it and thus cans which strike the surfaces referenced 33 and 34 are displaced away from their general line of travel toward the passageway 35 and cans which engage in the concave portions 32, 32, are swung from the general line of travel in the general direction of the passageway 36. In this way, it will be seen that two cans are displaced to one side of the general line of travel and one can to the other side out of each three cans coming along the passa eway 28. After the cans pass by the rotata 1e member 31, they engage a triangular shaped, spring-controlled pivoted deflecting finger or switch 37 which is mounted on a rounded end 38 of a bar secured to the end bridge 22. As will be understood, the cans which are transmitted down the passageway 36 will either be deflected to the machine referenced A or will continue along the passageway 26 to either of the other machines depending upon the positions of the various gates 27 In order to distribute the cans which are transmitted through the passageway 35, a second rotatable positioning or displacing member 39 is employed, the principle upon which it operates being similar to that of the plate 31 except that the plate 39 has only four faces instead of six, the concave faces 40, 40 guiding the cans to the passageway 24, and the faces 41, 41 displacing the cans So that they pass to the intermediate passagewa 25. Another deflecting finger or switch 3 is employed and the member on which it is mounted is made adjustable, as shown by the bolt and slot arrangement 42. From the preceding description it will be seen that the cans are distributed successively and in rotation in equal numbers to the three passageways 24, 25 and 26, and it will be obvious that my invention is not limited to a distributing arrangement employing merely three passageways.

At each of the closing machlnes, the cans are received on a table 43, after which they are passed through the machine and have an end or cover seamed thereto. After the cans pass the seaming mechanism they are ejected from the machine on to an inclined,-

curved, channel-shaped chute 44, see Fig. 4, and slide down the latter under the influence of gravity. The chutes 44 are so arranged that they direct the closed filled cans on to the conveyer 14 and the cans are conveyed by the latter to the left hand end of the apparatus, as viewed in Fig. 2 and transferred from the conveyer 14 to a lifting conveyer 45. By arranging the conveyer 14 beneath the conveyer 13, a minimum amount of floor space is required and both conveyers are easily accessible.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred embodiment of m improvements, yet it will be understood t at various changes and.

plated as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I do not claim herein the article-distributing means, per se, the same being the subject of my copending application, Serial No. 22,999, filed April 22, 1915; nor the canconveying means irrespective of means for delivering cans from the closing machines, the same being the subject of my copending application Serial No. 815,603, filed Jan. 31, 1914.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination: a framework; two endless traveling conveyers mounted on said framework one above the other; a plurality of operating machines arranged respectively at different points adjacent the sides of the said two conveyers; means for distributing articles from the upper conveyer to said machines respectively, the lower conveyer being arranged to receive the articles from the machines after they have been operated upon; and means for delivering the articles operated on by said machines to said lower conveyer, both conveyers passing along the same side of each machine.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination: a framework; a pair of endless traveling con veyers mounted on said framework one above the other; a single guideway above the upper conveyer at one end; a plurality of separate guideways above said upper conveyer comprising an intermediate guideway and outer guideways at the sides thereof; means for distributing the articles in rotation from said single guideway to each of the pluralityof guideways; a plurality of operating machines arranged at different points adjacent the said two conveyers; means for guiding the articles from the plurality of guideways to said machines respectively; and means for transferring the articles after the same have been operated upon by said machines to the lower conveyer, substantially as specified.

3. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer and cooperating with said closing machines to take cans therefrom; and adjustable means for separately distributing cans from said passageways to said closing machines respectively and for varying such distribution.

4:. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer; means for separately distributing and varying the distribution of cans from said passageways to said closing machines respectively; and means including an elevating conveyer for delivering closed cans from the said machines. i

5. In a can closing apparatus, in combination an endless traveling feeding conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at diflerent points along and adjacent said conveyer; adjustable means for separately distributing cans from said passageways to said closing machines respectively and adapted to vary such distribution; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer; and means for delivering the closed cans from said closing machines respectively to said discharging conveyer.

6. In a can closing apparatus, in combi nation: an endless traveling feeding conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer at both sides thereof; means for separately distributing cans from said passages ways to said closing machines respectively; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer; and-chutes for the closed cans leading from said closing machines respectively to said discharging conveyer.

7. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling feeding conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer at both sides thereof; means for separately distributing cans from said passageways to said closing machines respectively; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer; means for de livering the closed cans from said closing machines respectively to said discharging conveyer; and an elevating conveyer leading from the end of the said under discharging conveyer.

8. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling feeding conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer; means for separately distributing and varying the distribution of cans from said passageways to said closing machines respectively; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer;

chutes for the closed cans leading from said closing machines respectively to said discharging conveyer; and an elevating conveyer leading from the end of the said under discharging conveyer.

9. In an article conveying and distributing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling feeding conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover comprising an intermediate passageway and outer passageways at the sides thereof; a plurality of machines for operating on said articles arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer at both sides thereof; means for separately distributing and varying the distribution of the conveyed articles from said passageways to said operating machines respectively; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer; and means for delivering the finished articles from said operating machines respectively to said discharging conveyer.

10. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudinal passageways thereover comprising an intermediate passageway and outer passageways at the sides thereof; a single passageway leading to near the receiving ends of said separate assageways; means for distributing cans rom said single passageway to said separate passageways; a plurality of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer; a discharging endless traveling conveyer under said feeding conveyer and cooperating with said closing machines to take cans therefrom; and adjustable means for separately distributing cans from said passageways to said closig machines respectively adapted to vary such distribution.

11. In a can closing apparatus, in combination: an endless traveling conveyer having a plurality of separate fixed longitudi nal passageways thereover; a single passageway leading to near the receiving ends of said separate passageways; means for distributing and varying the distribution of cans from said single passageway to said separate passageways; a plura 1ty of can closing machines arranged at different points along and adjacent said conveyer; a dischargin conveyer arranged under the first mentione conveyer, chutes leading from the said maconveyers mounted in said framework one below the other, the upper conveyer being adapted to carry open filled cans to the closing machines, and the lower conveyer being adapted to remove cans from the closing machines, said closing machines arranged at the op osite sides of the said conveyers, chutes eading from the closing machines to the lower conveyer for the delivery of closed cans to the latter, fixed longitudinal canguides forming passageways over the upper conveyer, and adjustable means for distributing and varying the distribution of cans from said passageways to the said closing machines.

AUGUST M. AUGENSEN. Witnesses:

JOSEPH HARRIS, H. M.' MUNDAY- 

